Florida State Wide

Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Florida’s Senior Protection Team, an intra-agency group of experts working together to fight fraud and abuse. The team is comprised of leading members from the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Consumer Protection Division and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Seniors v. Crime and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will also actively assist the team with investigations and outreach efforts.

The goal is to bring attorneys and investigators specialized in fighting civil, criminal and health care fraud together to develop strategies to protect Floridians 60 and older. The team is already meeting with experts and stakeholders across the state to develop aggressive ways to combat fraud against seniors. Continue reading

On November 20, 2019, in News Releases, by Staff

Nearly $3 million in funding dedicated to career and technical education remains available

Tallahassee, Fla.– Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced the school districts, universities, colleges and private institutions who have been awarded with the Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant.

During the 2019 Legislative Session, Governor DeSantis worked with the Florida Legislature to secure historic funding for Florida’s students and families, including $10 million dedicated to career and technical education for the newly created Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program. The program provides competitive grants to eligible institutions to create or expand apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. Of the $10 million in state funding, nearly $3 million still remains. Continue reading

Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced and applauded the efforts of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to remove more than 3,600 invasive Burmese pythons from South Florida’s Everglades System.

This month, FWC’s Python Action Team reached a major milestone of removing 1,000 Burmese pythons from the wild in Florida. The removal of these 1,000 snakes compliments the more than 2,600 pythons removed by the SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program.

“I’m proud that our recent efforts to expedite the removal of invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades are yielding results,” said Governor DeSantis. “The removal of more than 3,600 pythons by FWC and the South Florida Water Management District is an important milestone in this fight and demonstrates that our policies are working. Together, we will continue to build on this success and do all we can to preserve and restore our environment.”

On August 7, Governor DeSantis joined FWC and the SFWMD to announce new efforts to remove pythons from the greater Everglades. The Governor directed FWC and the District to increase collaboration on a number of initiatives, including training programs, research, education campaigns and incentives for veterans to remove pythons.

The SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program and FWC’s Python Action Team were created in March and April of 2017, respectively. Both programs were designed to further engage qualified individuals with python control efforts. In recent months, FWC has doubled their number of Action Team contractors, significantly increasing the number of pythons that have been removed.

The FWC Python Action Team’s 1000th python was captured by Tom Rahill and the Swamp Apes Team in the Chekika region of Everglades National Park. It measured in at 9 feet, 5 inches long and weighed 23 pounds. The Swamp Apes Team is a group dedicated to serving U.S. veterans through serving the wilderness.

Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, in honor of Veteran’s Day, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the launch of a new military-friendly travel section on VISIT FLORIDA’s website, www.visitflorida.com/military.

The section is a consolidated source of Florida travel information for service members, veterans, and their families. The site includes information about discounts and experiences available to military members and their families, monuments and memorials, military-related events, museums and more.

“More than 1.5 million veterans call Florida home and the defense industry is one of the state’s top economic drivers,” said Governor DeSantis. “On Veteran’s Day, we recognize and observe the sacrifices of our men and women in the armed services who have dedicated their lives to preserving the principles upon which our great country was founded. Since taking office, I have made it a priority to enhance Florida’s reputation as the most veteran-friendly state in the nation. VISIT FLORIDA’s new military travel hub expands this initiative and further strengthens the bond between Florida and our nation’s heroes.”

“Florida is one of the world’s leading destinations and VISIT FLORIDA is dedicated to providing all our visitors with inspiring travel ideas,” said VISIT FLORIDA President and CEO Dana Young. “Through this new addition to our website, VISIT FLORIDA is showcasing the many military-friendly experiences available throughout the state. We are honored to provide our country’s servicemen and women with tailored visitor information, and will remain committed to ensuring military members, veterans, and their families feel welcome when creating lifelong memories in the Sunshine State.”

Florida is a diverse destination that last year attracted 127 million travelers from around the world. Tourism remains the state’s leading industry and, based on the latest economic impact study, visitors to Florida contributed $85.9 billion to the state’s economy and supported 1.5 million Florida jobs in 2017.

Friends,

This column comes to you from our desk in the Florida Capitol. That is right, our desk, not mine. This seat, this desk, belong to the people of Senate District 12 and it is very humbling for me to be here on your behalf today. It is never taken for granted the responsibility and trust that you have given to me to represent over 500,000 people in our great State. We get to work on some big issues, that will affect all of you, and it is very important for you to be engaged and informed in our legislative process. Continue reading

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is asking Floridians to help fight the opioid crisis and teen vaping epidemic by participating in the 18th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The biannual event is an opportunity for people to properly dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs or controlled substances. Disposing of unwanted or expired pharmaceuticals helps prevent drug abuse, addiction and overdose deaths. Additionally, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, for the first time ever, will accept vaping products on Drug Take-Back Day.

Attorney General Moody today joined DEA to preview a take-back location in the Tampa Bay area. Drug Take-Back Day will take place this Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at locations across Florida.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The excess supply of prescription medications is helping fuel the national opioid crisis and teen vaping is at an all-time high. Properly disposing of unused, expired drugs and vaping products helps prevent addiction and could save a life. I ask all Floridians to please participate in Drug Take-Back Day and help keep addictive opioids and vaping products from falling into the wrong hands.” Continue reading

September 18, 2019

This week, I announced the most expansive state vaping investigation known publicly to date. As many of you know, I spent the summer traveling the state to find out what was behind the dramatic increase in vaping among our youth. According to the Florida Department of Health, nearly one in four Florida high school students now admits to using e-cigarettes—students have said that rate is much higher.

One study found two-thirds of young persons didn’t even know vaping products contained nicotine. Now we are hearing about vaping-related hospitalizations around the country. According to a recent report, in Florida there have been 68 cases of vaping-related pulmonary illnesses.

As a mother, I cannot sit on the sidelines while underage vaping skyrockets and our next generation becomes addicted to nicotine. It’s illegal under Florida law to sell these products to anyone under 18, yet vaping among our youth is out of control. Continue reading

Florida’s Mitigation Plan Will Further Improve Florida’s Air Quality

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced another step in the state’s effort to modernize public transit, provide accessible electric vehicle infrastructure and reduce harmful air pollutants caused by diesel emissions.

Coordination amongst state agencies and private and public sector partners will be critical to the success of meeting the objectives of the state’s recently submitted Beneficiary Mitigation Plan. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has published three Requests for Information (RFIs) for the three project types outlined in the plan.

“My administration is committed to making smart investments to help improve our state’s air quality long-term,” said Governor DeSantis. “This funding will allow us to focus on projects that will reduce harmful emissions, help modernize school and transit bus fleets, and provide access to charging stations in our state as electric vehicle usage continues to increase.”  Continue reading

Jupiter, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced proposed legislation for the 2020 Legislative Session that will expedite water quality improvements throughout Florida. The legislation incorporates recommendations of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force, which the Governor created shortly after taking office to aid the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in protecting, conserving and managing the state’s natural resources.

The Governor made today’s announcement following a tour of the Loxahatchee River District, where he was joined by DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein and Chief Science Officer Dr. Tom Frazier as well as other environmental stakeholders from across the state. Continue reading

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued a permit to the Department of Interior’s National Park Service, Everglades National Park, for the removal of 5.45 miles of roadbed along the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41).

This critical project is a component of the larger Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP), which also includes the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir Project. CEPP will provide the necessary components to deliver additional freshwater from Lake Okeechobee south to Water Conservation Area 3, Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. Bridging Tamiami Trail remains one of Governor DeSantis’ priority Everglades restoration projects. Continue reading

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